Record 176,000 children homeless: voters urged to make housing a defining issue in local elections

The number of children living in temporary accommodation in England has risen again to around 176,130, setting a new record and deepening the UK’s housing emergency.

That is the equivalent of the entire population of Oxford.

With local elections taking place on 7 May, campaigners say the figures should be a wake-up call for voters and candidates alike, warning that housing and homelessness must become a defining political issue.

Just Fair, a UK charity working to defend and promote economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to housing, says the figures reflect a failure to treat housing as a basic human right.

Alex Firth, advocacy and communications officer at Just Fair, said:

These figures show a clear failure to protect children’s rights. Every child has the right to a safe, secure home, but across the UK that right is being denied on a huge scale. Housing is not a privilege, it is a human right recognised in international law. When that right is not protected, it affects everything: children’s health, education, stability and sense of security.

The crisis is particularly acute in London, where the relationship between housing costs and child poverty is stark. Housing costs in London are significantly higher than the rest of the UK and continue to rise. In the private rented sector, the average rent is now £1,957 per month, accounting for 41.6 per cent of household income (ONS, August 2025).

As a result, child poverty rates in London almost double when taking housing costs into account. They rise from 16 per cent before housing costs to 31 per cent after (HBAI, 2026), a much larger increase than in any other region.

The rise comes despite historic progress in the past. In 2010, the number of children experiencing homelessness nationally fell to under 70,000, showing that government action can reverse the trend.

Councils under pressure on housing

Campaigners warn that the crisis is most acute at the local level, with councils under growing pressure to house families in temporary and often unsuitable accommodation. New analysis from the Local Government Association reveals that councils in England are facing a cumulative £3bn shortfall in temporary accommodation funding between 2017/18 and 2029/30.

Research shows the daily realities families face are severe. Parents are forced to prepare food for young children without access to kitchens. Children with special educational needs may face journeys of up to two hours to school when placed out of borough. Young people preparing for exams have to study in overcrowded, noisy spaces without reliable internet access.

The United Nations has repeatedly raised concerns about housing in the UK. In its latest review, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights called on the UK government to increase the supply of affordable housing, strengthen renters’ rights, and address the root causes of homelessness.

Firth added:

Local authorities are on the frontline, but they need the powers, funding and national leadership to act. These elections are a moment for accountability. People should be asking: will those seeking election commit to making the right to housing real in our communities?

After years of rising homelessness, we need more than short-term fixes. We need a rights-based approach that guarantees everyone a safe and secure place to live.

While recent UK government strategies, including the Child Poverty Strategy and National Plan to End Homelessness, have rightly identified the need to tackle the temporary accommodation crisis, action must go further.

Featured image via the Canary